Final Blog #8

My entrepreneurial idea was to create and promote universities to install recycling vending machines that can give back to the recyclers. There are plenty of recycling vending machines but I have noticed that if young adults like college students took part in recycling more, the potential success would increase dramatically. Students will receive money back that can help them within the campus. And to expand the incentives, local stores, restaurants and shops can partner up to help the university go green. This not only benefits the environment, but it can help college students who are tight on money to make money easily by recycling.

Recycling can also be fun. I plan to have universities verse each other to see who can recycle more. By bringing competition between various universities, it can motivate students to recycle in order to keep their school pride. Even within a university, different dorms can have opportunity to compete. This machine is a great way to promote and encourage everyone to recycle. Facebook, twitter and other social media sites will have to promotion codes where students can earn a little more extra money or get bonus incentives for their "first" recycle.

http://www.foreverrecycle.info/ is our central site where everything about the machine will be provided. The lists of uiniversities involved and how successful the machine has been will be shown off on the site. Videos, pictures and even products like t-shirts can all be included in the site to expand on this entrepreneruial idea.

My overall experience with this project was fun because I actually took time to think of a nice entrepreneurial idea that is creative and realistic. My target group was college students but I really do think if universities took more initiative of this idea, it could change a lot. Sometimes it was hard to relate to all the topics, but expanding on my idea and incorportaing new opportunities to my entrepreneurial idea was very enjoyable.


Comment Links:
- http://esther0748.blogspot.com/2011/09/week-2-social-media.html?showComment=1319787089171#c8854832665327616146

- http://helenology.blogspot.com/2011/09/week-1-social-media.html?showComment=1319785388524#c8002283760881901276

- http://mymoodradio.blogspot.com/2011/09/my-mood-radio.html?showComment=1319783140135#c5890334140343841286

Blog #7

I want to make an online site for my entrepreneurial idea. This can be a site where people can keep track of the “university competition” or just a site where they can have all the information about the recycling machine. This site can help bring everyone who’s interested in this machine to come together and expand recycling all over the world. A site that has videos, comments, pictures, feedback, lists of partnered universities, stores or even specific locations where the machines are located are all sorts of information that can be presented through the site. Of course I plan to have Facebook page, twitter, and other sorts of social media but this site can be the central page for my entrepreneurial idea.

In order to have a successful online site, an IP address is needed. A domain name is also needed to help people memorize it faster and easier. For example, the domain name for my site can be called www.foreveRRecycle.info. I have the option for choosing .com, .net, .org, .info, .pro, or any other non-restricted domain names. But without an IP address, it is useless because the internet needs the IP address to communicate. In order for me to gain ownership to this domain name, I need to get it approved by ICANN first. They are responsible for coordinating and managing domain name system.

I also want to incorporate email to my site. Anyone who has questions or interest can and should be able to directly email through the www.foreveRRecycle.info site.  Also, I want to consider hypertext transfer protocol secure in case we plan to expand  in the advertisement segment through t-shirts, posters, stickers, etc. With hypertext transfer protocol, this will allow online payments secure and it will be safe to put in private information. Even though internet was first started because of military reasons, it has brought a tremendous change to our world today. Just like internet, I hope that this recycling machine can change the world in the future little by little.  

Blog #6

            In order to have the mobile application relating to my entrepreneurial idea, a mobile O/S is needed for various cellphones today. Phones such as Android, Blackberry, apple and etc. have types of operating system where applications can be downloaded. Other popular operating systems are Windows, Unix, MAC OS, and Linux. All of these programs helped our world become where we are today. Without Microsoft Windows, we would not have excel or word or PowerPoint programs where we can store and present our data for business. Excel in general can be a huge factor that keeps my entrepreneurial idea a success by recording and organizing all the data.

            Smart phones today are a huge trend. Without the proper operating system, a smart phone would not get the entitlement of a “smart phone.” By advancing in operating system, it led to improved visuals and easier steps to get tasks done. Sending files, emails, pictures or even browsing internet became much more advanced throughout the years. Thanks to the advanced operating systems, the world centered their vision around social networking and social media. Any business can benefit from a more advanced operating system.

            Digital color is another segment that can help expand my entrepreneurial idea. Obviously on the recycle vending machine, a screen is required so the quality of an advanced monitor screen is needed. Also, when I’m advertising this new machine, posters, images, and advertisements needs to be in perfect color with specific requirements maybe like saturation, hue, contrast or brightness. This visual advertisement will either attract or push away potential customers or in my case, recyclers.  Digital colors are not just for designing, its colors that are all around us.  

Review Blog. (Blog #5)

The blog “Beyond the Blue Bin: The next generation of Recycling” written by Warren Stoll describes about how the world is looking for a better recycling options beyond just the traditional methods. The reverse vending machines are usually located at the local supermarkets and recycling centers. But today, consumers are beginning to look for better options and locations like universities, entertainment arenas, public parks and hospitals. Recycling started out with blue recycling bins but through the advancement in technology, RVMs were able to provide more effective solutions. People would normally just pass by or throw away non-recyclable trash but with the automated recycling machines, people became more innovated and serious about recycling.  

The automatic and advanced technology in recycling improved the rate of recycling in busy facilities. For example, Sacred heart University in Connecticut installed RVMs in campus to reduce trash volume and eliminate litter. To promote recycling, whoever recycled would receive coupons to redeem goods from sponsors. Compared to the blue bins, RVMs were much more successful. According to Larry Lepore, if the RVMs are used wisely, it can “save the facility $1400 in trash haulage costs.” Today, RVMs are also being used by national parks and other public spaces. For example, RVMs were installed in Grand Canyon National Park camping ground areas. To encourage people to recycle, local shops sold drinks with high deposits resulting motivation for people to actually recycle.

Another smart way to use the RVMS is to install them temporarily. According to Warren Stoll, RVMs were installed temporarily at Madison Square Park in NYC for concert series. It provided park visitors to dispose their drinks and even get a chance to win prizes like IPod shuffles and t-shirts. All the deposit money was collected to be donated to a nonprofit organization that supported the Madison square park. Even in hospitals, RVMs are used by employees to create and promote a healthier environment. In Yale New Haven hospital, the deposit money gets saved for a fund called Employee Hardship Fund. The more people recycle, the more beneficial it gets. People today need motivation and benefits in order to willingly recycle more often. As RVMs develop and improve, hopefully the world takes bigger roles in recycling.

BLOG URL:

http://www.greenbiz.com/blog/2010/04/30/beyond-blue-bin-next-generation-recycling?page=0%2C0

Blog #4

            Technology has changed our world in many different ways. An example of an input device that’s needed in my entrepreneurial idea is a printer. After every session, the printer will print out a receipt of student’s deposit and account information. An output example would be a keyboard or a speaker but for this machine, it won't be a physical keyboard, it's going to be a touch screen. But if the voice recognition program gets installed, a speaker would be needed for the machine in order to hear the directions. 

            A voice recognition service is a great way to help anyone at anywhere when they need help. For example, my entrepreneurial can expand its abilities by installing voice recognition. It can be helpful for people who don’t understand the machine or anyone in need of the voice recognition, like disabled.  Of course, voice recognition is still a developing system where it needs lots of samples in order to store the recognition. But it’s a great convenient way for people to utilize the machine. Also like Goog-411, a phone line that can serve as a directory service line would be a great way to promote and gain convenience. For example, maybe some restaurants near the school or CVS or any type of stores decides to join with the school and allow students to use recycled money there too. Then students can expand the horizon of the places where they can use the money. This allows more students to be interested in recycling and a closer step towards going green. And if other stores decide to join, students or anyone can all a 411 number that can direct them to other available options by using a voice recognition directory service. 

            Recycle machines today have a scanner that can recognize what kind of recycled items are put into the machine. But one way of having the machine recognize is to scan the bar code.  It helps the machine categorize accurately whether its glass or plastic or etc. All machines should have a RFID located somewhere in the machine so when it’s time to check on the RFID machine or if parts are broken in the machine, the information about the machine can be stored in the R. It can also store information on how old the machine is or when the machine was fixed last. Like any information regarding the machine can be stored in the RFID tag. So when a person from the company comes around to check them, they can just scan the ID to gain information about everything.  Even though there are lots of disadvantages of RDID tags, it’s still a developing technology. So there should always be backup stored information somewhere in the machine or a mother computer.

Blog #3

The recycling vending machine requires lots of hardware components. The machine needs a programed system and a graphic display like a monitor to allow communication. A memory will allow access to data and information that were processed through the machine.  The monitor can display graphics, texts, instructions and reports on how the individual recycler is doing. Another hardware that is built in the machine is a scanner. The machine needs a scanner in order to identify each material that enters the machine. This also requires databases to be installed into the scanner hardware to recognize individual bottles, cans, etc. Also, since this machine will have students swipe their IDs, an outer scanner that will recognize student’s SUID is needed. This will be another set of databases that the machine needs.

Just like a computer’s case, this machine’s case is very important too. The case determines the outer visual layer of the machine, and it can help expand the storage area for recycling. It also can be used for displaying the logo, or advertising the benefits from recycling or just make it look attractive so students can be interested in them. Another hardware that may be needed for these recycling machines is a printer. Most recycling machines have a little slip printer that has all the information of the session. This printing option can allow students to see how much they earned or have in their account. It will keep them updated and more organized.

But having printed materials lying around might lead to an identity theft. Especially because it involves student’s meal plan account and it’s their college identification number. So the printed paper will only show the first name and no written proof of any SUID or last names. All recycle vending machine sshould be programmed and connected to one mother computer. All sessions and data will be recorded in the main computer. If a session is not properly ended by mistake, then the machine will have a self-timed session ending program like in local ATMs. If by any chance, the machine breaks down the memory and data part of the machine should be properly destroyed and the machine in general should be kept as a well secured and protected device.

Blog #2

My entrepreneurial idea doesn’t require a lot of special systems but one system that it does require is to keep track of all the transactions. We need to keep track of all the items that get donated into the machine and how much and to whom it goes to. Through excel both the recycle company and the specific universities can keep track of these records. Especially during the competition events on who recycled the most, records of all the donations are needed. Through excel, we can also type in formulas to figure out the average amount students are making and how much the school is profiting from these “supercard” money.

 Different types of graphs and charts can be made to post on social media sites to show how well this machine is doing and how much it’s helping the environment. Excel can be used to figure out the statistical portion of the business. Pretty much any financial solution can be done with excel since Microsoft excel can help access any data. This can be used for the company’s own records or as marketing and advertising method.  Excel can help my entrepreneurial idea by backing up the product with positive results and statistics that can be shown to my product users and social media sites.

One thing the company needs to careful about is privacy. Whether it’s for Facebook or the machine itself, Security should be a big factor.  Since the machine scans student IDs and  deals with money, the security system needs to be tightly under control. And each session should automatically end after a certain time like an ATM machine. The social media sites should definitely be kept private but at the same time have enough general information so the public can see. Privacy and security is something that is very important for every company and it's product.

Blog #1 (Week 1 & 2)

My entrepreneurial idea for this project is to make a new recycling machine for college students. There are so many recyclable products that students just throw out. Even if college students do collect them in containers, they eventually all just get thrown out without knowing where it goes or how it affects the world. And since students get lazy, that they end up not recycling at all. So my plan is to make a machine where students can recycle and swipe their school IDs to get money. It may not be a lot of money at first, but if they are consistently recycling and being initiative, the money will stack up. For example, in Syracuse, the recycled money would get put back into individual’s Supercard money. Therefore students can recycle as much as they want and receive something back. Especially because in campus all majority drinks are sold in plastic bottles. And college students tend to have massive amounts of water bottles saved in their room to drink for a whole semester. I also noticed how many recyclable bottles we ended up with each week in that blue bin from just two people, me and my roommate. Imagine how many recyclable bottles are produced each college semester/year.

            Since my targeted age groups are teens and college students, social media marketing would be a great opportunity. They can make a Facebook group per universities to list where the machines are located and what it’s capable of. When people run out of money for food or meal plan, they have to refill from their pockets. But with these machines, they can recycle for a semester and use the money for next semester or even day by day as they recycle. Where does the money come from? The school can have a separate organization to collect all the recycled products and find a company who will pay for those. If you go to a local recycling, it works with the same system. The recycled money is only acceptable in that specific college so in theory they are getting store credit rather than actual money.

           

            This machine will have a card scanning bar and a touch screen where students can swipe their SUIDs or type in their SUID number. Social media like tumbler, Facebook & etc., will get the word out. This isn’t a product I am trying to sell, so just letting people know that this kind of machine exists will help them get interest. An example of a social media marketing plan might be if you tweet “Go Green SU” or “like” their Facebook page, they will receive a promotion code. So on the first day they try out the machine, they can type in the promotion code where they can get a little extra cash. The marketing motto could be something like “Are you broke?” to get college students’ attention and state start recycling and money on your SUID! Easy as 1 2 3! Different colleges have different meals plans so the machine system can be customized and adjusted for various universities.

           

            A blog site can blog about how recycling helps the world and just update interesting facts on how helping the environment will change the world. Even YouTube can get involved by having videos that show all the collected cans and bottles from a specific college. Another idea could be having competitions between different colleges. To see which college recycled the most or if that’s too big and broad, people can compete between dorm Halls like Dellplain vs. Ernie Davis in Syracuse.

           

            The concept of getting promotion codes from social media sites has a catch. That in order to receive those extra cash, they need to use the machine first. So they are encouraged and motivated to go check it out. Receiving the codes could go from liking a Facebook page or tweeting or referring a friend on campus or maybe even just using the machine for a year. I’ve also noticed that it’s hard to check how much money I actually have left in my meal plan or Supercard. The only way I can find out is to ask the cashier when I buy something or a vending machine. So with the recycle machine, a mobile app could be designed so students can check their account on their phone. They can check how much money was deposited or left after they recycled and keep track of how much money they are making through this machine. :)